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Fish Care - Maintenance Schedule

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Proper maintenance of the aquarium is essential to the health and well-being of your fish:

Although aquarium maintenance is not as time intensive as other hobbies, there are certain requirements for keeping any kind of pet and aquariums are not excluded.

The idea that the aquarium needs to be completely broken down and cleaned every so often is a myth that persists. But with the discovery of natural biological filtration, which occured in the 1970's, taking care of an aquarium is now much simpler than that. Nowadays it is known that a bi-monthy or even monthy partial water change can be enough to keep a healthy aquarium.

Indeed, completely cleaning an aquarium is actually detrimental to the health of your fish since it can disrupt or destroy the biological filter which is essential to removing deadly ammonia and nitrite. See the section on biological filtration and Cycling Your Aquarium for more information.

Daily Fish Care

• Feed your fish daily. The rule of thumb is to give them as much as they can eat in 5 minutes.
• Watching your aquarium is the source of enjoyment you get from your aquarium, so take the time to watch for unusual behaviour and signs of illness or distress. Keep an eye out for visual signs like white spots, frayed fins, red or splotchy patches, bloated bellies, or hanging feces in your fish. Observe the fish interactions with each other to be aware of bullying, fin nipping, or excessive hiding of your fish. Watch for gasping at the surface, imbalance or swimming in an odd or different manner than is usual for your pets. If you observe any of these signs you may have to isolate or remove certain fish or treat the aquarium with medication for disease. Check the fish disease and treatment section if you suspect any illness.
• Remove any dead or dying fish immediately.
• Check the temperature of your aquarium. Make adjustments to the temperature if necessary. Stuck or malfunctioning heaters should be replaced.

Every Two Weeks

By most accounts freshwater or saltwater aquarium systems need partial water changes on a regular basis.

The main reason for water changes is to remove compounds that are not removed by any of the filtration methods such as nitrates and phosphates. Water changes also serve to replenish trace elements, and to clean the gravel of accumulated detritus and waste. It is best to use a gravel siphon specifically made for aquarium water changes because they are made to only siphon water and not pick up the gravel.

Freshwater: The recommended amount of water to change is about 15-20% per month. The reason this is listed as a bi-monthly task is that for keeping the aquarium stable and reducing sudden changes in the environment, smaller water changes done frequently are best. If you are using tap water, make sure to add chlorine remover to the replacement water at the recommended dosage. You may also add other additives like Stress Coat, Novaqua, Biozyme or any of the many water conditioners available to aquarists. Check for examples.

Saltwater: The recommended amount of water to change is about 20-25% per month. If you don't have gravel in your aquarium, you can use this opportunity to remove detritus, algae, and any other accumulated waste. Make sure the replacement water is at the same specific gravity as your aquarium and mix it well in advance. Mixing the saltwater 24 hours in advance is recommended.

For reef aquariums, read more in reef aquarium setup: maintenance.

Monthly Fish Care

• Change any activated carbon you may have in your filtration system. Clean any power filters with mechanical and/or chemical filtration and replace the resins if needed.
• Check your light bulbs and change them is needed. Usually, light bulbs will last anywhere from 6 months to a year, be aware of when that is and change them as necessary.

Semi-Annual Fish Care

• Make sure your fish aren't getting too big for their bowl or tank. Do an aquarium size vs. fish size calculation as it might be time to upgrade to a larger size aquarium.
• Change light bulbs
• Every 5 months is a good time to make sure you have plenty of carbon, replacement filters, chlorine removers, and any other necessary for your type(s) of filtration.

Fish Care Tips When You Travel

• Clean The Bowl or Tank - Do your partial water change and make sure the tank is full the day before you leave.
• Change The Filter - Check to see if a filter change is needed and replace accordingly.
• Feeding Your Fish - Do not overfeed your fish before you leave. You will only make your fish bloated, sick and constipated. It is not necessary to have someone feed your fish if you will be away for one week or less. If you will be gone a week or more, however, use one feeder block if you have a bottom feeder fish. For other types of fish, use a mechanical feeder or find a fish-wise friend to feed the fish for you.

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